


Widow's Weeds III – Phoenix from the Ashes

by BardicRaven



Series: Arrow - Widow's Weeds [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Episode: s03e09 The Climb, Gen, Irritated!Author-fic, John Diggle - minor role, Leadership, Oliver Queen - offstage, Roy Harper - minor role, Team Arrow, Team Dynamics, Teambuilding, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 20:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2787047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardicRaven/pseuds/BardicRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kill the head and the body doesn't necessary die. Sometimes, it just gets stronger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Widow's Weeds III – Phoenix from the Ashes

**Author's Note:**

>     _She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great_  
>      _As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate._  
>      _And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim_  
>      _Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same._
> 
> ##### -Rudyard Kipling, The Female of the Species

***********

She cajoled. She argued. And finally, she stood there and ordered.

Much to her surprise, they listened.

She didn't tell them Oliver was dead, tho' she suspected they knew. Why else would she wear nothing but black, and look like she'd been to hell and back?

But wisely, they kept their mouths shut, which was fine by her.

There was work to be done.

Just because Oliver wasn't coming back didn't mean his mission was done. And just because he wasn't there to lead them didn't mean they needed to leave that mission undone.

She deferred to Diggle in terms of targets and methods, what to go for, when and where. 

She deferred to Roy when it came to matters of the bow.

But when it came to holding the team together, providing the spark that sent them onward, like the arrow from the bow, she deferred to no-one but herself.

Diggle was seen to shake his head on more than one occasion, say to empty air, “Man, you sure screwed up, not saying anything sooner.”

Felicity was inclined to agree with him, not that it mattered now.

What mattered now was to keep going, keep praying that she was wrong, that once again, reports of Oliver Queen's death would be exaggerated. 

Where's there's life there's hope, after all, and where there's hope, there just might be life.


End file.
